Community crisis services

Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

2 Peachtree St., NW

Atlanta, GA 30303

Community Crisis Services

404-657-2252

ACCESS TO SERVICES
Call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL) at
(800) 715-4225 for both routine and crisis services 24/7.

The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) seeks to provide easy access to high-quality care for the people we serve. At the core of this mission is the foundational right of every person to live in the most integrated setting possible. We

believe that people are served better

HAVE QUESTIONS in their own communities, in the

OR NEED ASSISTANCE?
Contact the Office of Constituent Services at dbhddconstituent-
services@ dbhdd.ga.gov or (404) 657-5964

least restrictive setting possible. For people with mental health challenges and substance abuse disorders, community-based treatment allows them to lean on a natural support system where their friends and family play a part in their recovery.

MORE INFORMATION
Visit the DBHDD website at
http://dbhdd.ga.gov for more information
about our agency, including rules and regulations, policies
and careers.

As DBHDD continues to expand community-based capacity, a critical piece of the infrastructure is the development of a public safety net that provides high-quality, communitybased services that can be accessed in a consistent and predictable way across Georgia. This safety net will be delivered through our statewide

network of community service

boards (CSB) and will provide a

wide range of services designed to

treat people in their communities

and keep them out of emergency de-

partments and state hospitals.

Historically, many individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis were treated in an emergency department and then transferred to a state psychiatric hospital. The public safety net responds to these crisis situations by providing deescalation, stabilization, inpatient treatment, and linkage and referral to outpatient services. In this way, our CSBs serve as a communitybased alternative that offers immediate support to individuals who would otherwise require hospitalization. These crisis services divert individuals from unnecessary hospitalizations while engaging them in appropriate treatment that addresses the underlying conditions that cause crises.
The public safety net provides an array of community resources to ensure access to services at any time an individual is in need.
The Georgia Collaborative Administrative Services Organization, a partnership of DBHDD and Beacon Health Options, engages Behavioral Health Link to operate the Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL), which provides 24/7 access to both routine and crisis services.

Community Crisis Services

The GCAL call center is staffed by clinicians who work collaboratively with 911, local law enforcement, and emergency departments. The GCAL number is (800) 715-4225.
22 crisis stabilization units (CSU) provide community-based crisis assessment and stabilization, psychiatric observation, and shortterm treatment with linkage and referral to after-care services for individuals experiencing acute mental health or addictive disease crises. Between July and November 2014, Georgia's CSUs served an average of 1,899 people per month.
5 behavioral health crisis centers (BHCC) offer 24/7 walk-in crisis assessment, stabilization, short-term treatment and after-care referrals. BHCCs function as enhanced crisis stabilization units with the addition of temporary observation capacity. Between July and November 2014, Georgia's BHCCs served an average of 1,012 people per month.

4 crisis respite apartments serve individuals experiencing an acute psychiatric crisis by offering a safe environment for care and recovery. These apartments provide short-term, residential support and after-care linkage to behavioral health services and housing referrals. The average length of stay in a crisis respite apartment is 20 days. Between July and November 2014, Georgia's crisis respite apartments served an average of 77 people per month.
22 assertive community treatment (ACT) teams provide a consumer-centered, recoveryoriented, and highly-intensive service for individuals with a severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI), and who have not responded successfully to other forms of outpatient behavioral health treatment. ACT is administered by a team of behavioral health professionals and typically provides services in an out-of-office setting, which is often the consumer's home.

Mobile crisis services offer around-the-clock community crisis response, de-escalation and stabilization delivered by a team of peers and behavioral health professionals who provide referrals for after-care services. Mobile crisis is accessible to individuals in all 159 counties in Georgia.

8 community support teams (CST) enhance our capacity to provide intensive community-based, behavioral health services by offering increased support for individuals with SPMI who live in rural areas of Georgia.

The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) serves individuals with mental health challenges, addictive diseases, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our mission is to provide easy access to high-quality care for the people we serve. We offer a wide range of services to
fulfill our mission and support our goal of helping people achieve recovery and independence.